Originally Posted by Pugster
Does anyone have an example of a weekly program/schedule for a new rider. Should I pay attention to time spent on the bike or mileage. I have read some examples of riding for 5-10 hours a week for the first few weeks. I am just looking for somehting to follow and weekly goals to set to keep me motivated. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
time. and heart rate. eventually you'll want cadence too, but don't worry about that immediately. don't get hung up on mileage or speed - they'll go up as your fitness level improves. 5-10 hours seems a bit high too for a beginner (I ride a lot, normally between 140-200 miles a week, and I'm only riding about 10 hours a week).
Get a HRM, find out your "base fitness," and for the first few months just focus on staying in "zone 2" to get some fat burning going and some basic cardio. You'll probably want to keep your heart rate somewhere in the 140s, focus on trying to do this for 30-45 minutes for the first few weeks, then slowly bring that time up to an hour. Once you can maintain that for an hour then you can start working in intervals and increasing your slow rides.
Honestly, my "Monday Evening Trainer Session" involves paying attention to my watch, my hrm, and my cadence - I don't even pay attention to the speed or odo.
Good luck! You can do it!